New nature prize will help 25 schools across the UK go wild

The new OVO Foundation Nature Prize is giving funding to schools to help students and their communities connect with nature.

Schools were challenged to come up with their own initiatives – winning entries include plans to grow veg in an urban school with no green space, and to create gardens and spaces tailored for people with disabilities.

The competition is running in partnership with the Let’s Go Zero campaign, which is supporting UK schools to become zero carbon by 2030. Entrants were asked for ideas that would increase students’ access to nature – particularly those from less-advantaged backgrounds, as well boosting biodiversity in the school grounds and kick-starting climate action. The competition attracted nearly 200 entries.

Hannah Howard, Head of OVO Foundation said: “We want to ensure all children and young people, but especially those in underserved communities, have access to nature – and we also know that students want to be equipped with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities to protect it. Our Nature Prize, and the wider Let’s Go Zero campaign, is a brilliant catalyst for schools to kickstart climate action in school grounds and in every classroom. The winning projects will see their innovative ideas come to fruition, yet every school can gain inspiration from what’s possible with limited resources but a vision for a greener, brighter future for the next generation.”

Winning Schools

£1000 Winners

• Arbourthorne Community Primary School, Sheffield
• Djanogly Sherwood Academy, Nottingham
• Downsview Primary School, London
• North Herts Education Support Centre, Letchworth Garden City 
• Northfield School and Sports College, Billingham
• Norton Free Church of England Primary School, Sheffield
• Our Lady of Peace Primary School, Glasgow
• St John’s CE Primary School, Bristol
• The Featherstone Academy, Wakefield
• Ysgol Tycroes, Ammanford

£200 winners

• Ballyholme Primary School, Bangor
• Darley Dale Primary School, Matlock
• English Martyrs’ Catholic Voluntary Academy, Derbyshire
• Falinge Park High School, Rochdale
• Greet Primary School, Birmingham
• Lockerbie Learning Centre, Lockerbie
• North Star 240, Bristol
• Northfleet Technology College, Gravesend
• Pentrehafod School, Swansea
• The Polygon School, Southampton
• Rosehall Primary School, Lairg
• Simon Langton Girls’ School, Canterbury
• St Philip Howard Catholic Voluntary Academy, Glossop
• St Leonard’s Primary School, Exeter
• St Winifred’s Primary School, London

Descriptions of all winning projects can be found on the Let’s Go Zero website but below are a few examples of projects that stood out for their inclusivity and innovation.

Djanogly Sherwood Academy, Nottingham

Students and staff at this urban primary school in Nottingham won £1,000 to buy hydro-veg kits for the playground. The school’s student ‘Green Leaders’ will be responsible for looking after the kits and the food that they grow, which will then be given out to local families. The school has no green space on site and will use the hydro-veg kits to teach its students about sustainable food growing in urban areas.

 Northfield School and Sports College, Billingham

Students won their school £1,000 with a plan to create a welcoming sensory garden open to all students, but particularly those with visual impairments or struggling with their mental health. Staff and pupils have become increasingly aware of mental health concerns since the coronavirus pandemic and want to create a calming sanctuary where students have the opportunity to connect with nature.

The garden will also be used for outdoor learning, offering an alternative for students who struggle within a traditional classroom environment. Students were inspired to come up their project after attending a climate change conference at a local school, and have big plans to involve all students in sustainability efforts through extra-curricular events and activities that will take place in their new sensory garden.

 Lockerbie Learning Centre, Glasgow

This learning centre for students with severe and complex support needs won a £200 prize with its plan to develop a wheelchair accessible planting area that will allow students to grow their own fruit and vegetables, while also increasing biodiversity on the site. The project will increase access to nature for groups that are commonly excluded, as well as teaching students valuable life skills and knowledge around food production. Through taking ownership of the project, staff at the centre hope that students will deepen their understanding about how we can work together to combat climate change, and make a positive difference to eco-systems and biodiversity.

 Rosehall Primary School, Lairg

Image: Students at Rosehall Primary School, Lairg in Scotland celebrate their OVO Foundation Nature Prize win

After completing a school project on climate change and its impact on local flora and fauna, students at Rosehall Primary School in the Scottish Highlands came up with their winning idea to create a red squirrel sanctuary on the school site. They plan to fill the area with native plants to provide the squirrels with a natural food source, and will work with Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels to log squirrel sightings, involving students in important conservation work.

As a geographically isolated school, community involvement is a key part of the plan; there will be a dedicated webpage on the school’s website sharing updates and photos, while an open afternoon will celebrate the sanctuary’s completion.  Members of the community and local press will be invited in to learn about the students’ conservation efforts.

 Projects will Star in National Let’s Go Zero Campaign

Over the coming months, the Let’s Go Zero website will share insights and updates from the winning schools as they bring their projects to life.

The OVO Foundation Nature Prize will run again in 2024, with details announced on the Let’s Go Zero Twitter feed (@LetsGo_Zero) and by email to followers of the campaign.